Some Apple products will soon be replaced by a successor, some are so out of date that they are no longer worth buying.
When it comes to the latest iPhone, iPad, and Mac, you usually can’t go wrong, and it’s hard to make a bad buy. But even with such a wide range of premium products, not all of them are worth your hard-earned money. In Apple’s current lineup, there are some devices you shouldn’t buy, whether it’s bad timing or just a bad experience. We show you five Apple devices that you should no longer buy and their alternatives:
Don’t buy: iPhone SE (2nd generation)
Buy instead: iPhone SE (3rd generation)
This is pretty obvious. The current iPhone SE is now about two years old and thus showing its age, and that’s not an attack on retro design. The A13 processor, which was cutting edge in 2020, is now two generations old, the camera has no night mode, and there is no 5G.
All these disadvantages are expected to be resolved in just a few weeks. Apple is rumored to be holding its spring event on March 8 to announce several new products, including
a new iPhone SE
with an A15 processor, an improved camera and a 5G modem. There aren’t any great alternatives to the SE (unless you’re looking to buy an iPhone 13 Mini), so even if you need a new smartphone right away, the third-gen SE is just around the corner.
Don’t Buy: iPod Touch
Buy instead: iPhone SE
We’re not sure why Apple is still selling the iPod Touch, but with an A10 Fusion chip, 32GB of storage, and a 4-inch screen, it’s not even a good music player anymore. The 8MP camera is below average, the battery is so-so, and there’s no wireless charging or waterproofing. But at least it has a headphone jack.
If you’re looking for a cheap way to play music and games, you’d be better off with an iPhone SE. While we only recommend against buying one, even in its outdated state, the iPhone SE is still light years better than the iPod Touch, with a newer processor and camera, a bigger screen, more storage, and all the other new stuff. Features the iPod Touch lacks And if you don’t want to use it as a phone, you can simply forego a cellular plan.
iPod Touch: Will Apple remove it soon?
Don’t Buy: Apple Watch Series 3
Buy instead: Apple Watch SE
Apple continues to sell the Apple Watch Series 3, but it’s now hopelessly out of date. We’re guessing it will support watchOS 9 when it launches in the fall, but only because Apple has no other choice. However, we don’t expect many updates beyond that. Also, it has the old design, heart rate monitor, old chip, and lacks all the newer sensors and features. Even for 219 euros it is a bad offer.
For just £80 more (often even less), the Apple Watch SE is a much better deal. It has a larger screen, a slimmer design, fall detection, a compass, an always-on altimeter, and a second-generation optical heart sensor. It hasn’t been updated in over a year, but if you want a cheaper Apple Watch, the Watch SE, not the Watch 3, is the way to go.
Don’t Buy: 13-inch MacBook Pro
Buy instead: MacBook Air
The 13-inch MacBook Pro never made much sense, but now that the 14-inch MacBook Pro is out, it doesn’t fit into Apple’s portfolio as much as it used to. There’s nothing truly pro about it, unless you count the Touch Bar among them, and it hardly offers the kind of next-gen features that its big brothers have.
The M1 Macbook Air is just as good for $320 less. You get the same processor (minus a graphics core, which you won’t miss out on) and screen, plenty of storage, and a great layout and keyboard. The only thing you really give up is the Touch Bar, but we don’t think you’ll miss it. There are rumors about
that Apple is preparing the 13-inch Macbook Pro with the new M2 chip
.
Don’t buy: iPad Air
Buy instead: iPad Mini
We won’t beat around the bush: the iPad Air shouldn’t be on this list. But Apple’s frustrating tablet refresh cycle has left the iPad Air in limbo. It’s still a great tablet, but it’s not as good as it could (or should) be.
Last fall, the iPad Mini was redesigned to look like the iPad Air. And it got a newer A15 processor, improved camera with Center Stage and 5G network. The iPad Air has none of that. Yes, it has a larger screen, but it’s otherwise inferior to the iPad Mini in every way.
It is rumored that a new model will be presented at the spring event.
. So you could wait, but we honestly think the cheaper iPad Mini is better anyway.
This article originally appeared in our sister publication
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